Fortuna Major
by Voldy Is My Homie
Summary: "One day we're going to be old, and you're going to regret not kissing me." "Go die in a hole Sirius Black." [Sirius Black/Original Character]
1. a place to call my home

**All recognizable characters/places/things belong to J.K. Rowling. I am just playing in her sandbox.**

**This is also posted on mibba, by me. If you see it there, it is me.**

* * *

"Thank you, come again."

I smile and duck out of the small coffee shop, blinking furiously as the bright London sunlight punctures my eyes. Outside on the street is mayhem, everyone rushing every which direction. I turn with the flow, sipping my drink and doing my best not to get run over.

My feet carry me towards a muggle store that sells music disks. I'd already spent a good three weeks spending almost every afternoon in there listening to the music and trying to figure out how they put their music on flimsy little round things. So far, not so good; today would have to be my last day there as tomorrow I'll be on my way to Hogwarts for my seventh and final glorious year of school and I'll be back to just wondering about muggles and how they manage.

I step into the inside, the cold air rushing past me and raising goose bumps on my arm. The boy behind the counter smiles at me and I turn away. The last time he tried to talk to me he'd tried to pick me up and that was embarrassing enough and I have no desire to redo the experience.

Towards the back is a bench and I sit down, pulling my skirt down as it rides up. No one else is in the store and the boy behind the counter starts towards me. Hastily I pull out a book from my messenger bag, some muggle book called _The Great Gatsby, _I pull it up to my face. Counter Boy makes a right turn away from me and I breathe a sigh of relief.

I sit there and read, a routine I'd been doing for a good part of the summer in different places. It's quiet except for the music floating through the store and I'm relaxed. I'm about to pack up and leave when the door to the store opens and the chattering of teenage boys overtakes the music. I look up and roll my eyes. There are two boys, each one acting as if they are the kings of the world. I go back to reading my book doing my best to ignore them. I don't need to get annoyed by anyone on my last day of summer vacation.

"Oi, I know who you are!"

I look up to see four eyes trained on me and I flush. Two boys, one with glasses and one with long curly hair.

"Oh, look she's blushing!" the one with glasses says, winking at me, causing me to blush harder.

"Do I know you?" I ask slowly, putting my book away and standing up, wary. I've never been approached in such a manner or by two strange boys.

"Oh come off it, we go to school with you," one with long hair says pushing himself in front of the other boy. He smiles at me and I'm reminded of a wolf cornering prey.

"No I think you're mistaken." I edge past them, not turning my back towards them. No one from school has ever seen me during the summer, and I'm certain I've never seen them at school. "Well, have a nice day," I say before turning around and very nearly running to the door.

"You too! See you at school!"

I blink in the bright sunshine, and shake my head. What a bunch of nutters London seems to attract. I set off towards the small cramped flat I share with my mother and brother, already dreading having to pack.

When I walk in the front door I'm greeted to the smell of burnt cheese and smoke and the sound of gagging. I have a hunch on where the commotion is coming from and when I walk into the kitchen I prove myself right. My mother, for lack of better words, has a smoking pot in the sink, water pouring into it. On the floor my brother, Ryan, is gagging,

"Seriously, guys? What do you get up to while I'm gone?" I pull Ryan off the floor and notice his lack of eyebrows, but I ignore it. Now is not the time to send him into a vain temper tantrum.

"And will you please stop pouring water into that pan; you're making the smoke worse!" I snap at my mom. "And open a window."

While she pries the windows open I reach for the pot. Cheese and pasta is stuck the bottom a black, charred mess. Muttering under my breath I pull out my wand and tap the pot.

"_Scourgify."_

After the pot is clean I put it away and turn to face my family. My brother's smiling at me, still completely unaware that he has no eyebrows and my mom's lighting up a smoking pipe. She smiles at me around the stem but I don't smile back. I'm sick of her and her stupid antics and everything about her makes me want to break something.

She stops smiling at the expression on my face and instead she turns to look out the window. I turn my attention to my brother.

"What were you trying to do?"

"Well we were hungry, and you weren't here so we tried to cook something for ourselves."

I pinch the bridge of my nose, a headache starting to form behind my eyes.

"You have no eyebrows."

Ryan jumps up, hands clapped over his forehead and he sprints for the bathroom.

I've only been home ten minutes and I'm annoyed. I give up on the kitchen and make my way to the bedroom Ryan and I share. I flop on the bed, shoving dirty clothes out of my way and onto the floor.

Seventeen years I've been stuck in a house with an idiot who doesn't know the first thing about kids or cooking or homemaking. No, the only thing she knows anything about is work and smoking. It was perfectly fine when we still had Dad to help us out but after he died I got stuck taking the brunt of the homemaking. When I should've been doing normal teenage things I had to take care of my younger brother making sure he doesn't starve. But this is the last time I have to deal with my dunderheaded mother because right after school ends I can go away on my own and not have to deal with her, taking my brother if I have to.

I look around the room, at the mess of books and quills and robes and the empty trunk lying at the end of my bed. I heave myself off the bed and grab a handful of books. Better pack now.


	2. the boys who kick and buck

"Robes, textbooks, wand, quills."

I do one more look over of my side of the bedroom, making sure everything on my side of the room is put away neatly in my trunk. On the other side of the room my younger brother, Ryan, dashes around madly throwing anything that looks promising into his trunk. He's wearing a panicked expression and only one sock, and I have to fight the strong urge to laugh at him. He already had a panic attack because he thought his eyebrows wouldn't grow back overnight, despite the hair regrowth potion I'd made him take. It would not bode well to knock on his self-esteem again.

"This is why I told you to start packing last night," I tell him, shoving the lock on my trunk down. He doesn't say anything to me; he just keeps dashing around, making more of a mess than there was to begin with.

I stand up, stretch out the kinks from last night's restless sleep and make my way out of our room and into the kitchen. On the table is a hastily written note from our mother telling us to have a good term and to not get into trouble. I crinkle it up and toss it into the trash bin, which burps happily. She didn't bother to tell us goodbye when she got ready to go to work, so we don't have to read the note. I rifle through the cabinets, looking for something to eat. Moldy bread and weird muggle food in cans Ryan is so impartial too fills the space. At the end I strike gold with a box of slightly stale Spell-Crunch.

I fill a bowl and walk around the house, crunching down on the flakes, surveying our flat. It's filled with books upon books upon books (relics from when Dad was still alive), and mismatched furniture and not much else. The smell of slightly stale tobacco invades everything and I'm so excited to get out again I'm almost jumping around and screaming.

In about six hours I'll reach Hogwarts for my seventh and final year, and as soon as the year ends I'll be able to leave and never have to come back home to a mother who works too much and ignores her children for days on end. It's a day I've been waiting roughly five years for.

The time on the wall says eight thirty and I toss my dirty bowl into the sink and track down my fat cat and his carrier.

"Ryan, it's time to go!"

* * *

"I absolutely hate muggles," I mutter, pushing past an overweight man who'd been walking in front of us for the past ten minutes.

My brother shrugs in agreement and moves out of the way of a muggle woman dressed for work. Everyone's packed in together like sardines and I can't find a way to get to the platform faster. Finally there's a break in the bodies and I slide through it, Ryan following so close so close I can feel his trolley just barely touching my legs. Up ahead I can see platforms 9 and 10 and in between them our destination. Already, nearly two hours before the departure of our train I can see a small line of people waiting to slide through the brick barrier into platform 9 3/4. By the time we wrestle our way through all the people milling about there isn't any more of a line and we lean against the wall, letting ourselves and our trolleys sink.

On the other side there's about twenty people, and six trolleys, each one filled with trunks and cages with owls and a few cats. It's quiet, the air filled only with the soft hooting of owls and the meowing of cats, something Fluffy is only too happy to join in. I pull my trolley towards a bench and sit, wiping away the dew that had formed. On the next bench over is a boy, lying down, his trunk beside him on the ground, his face in a magazine called Wands Weekly, a half-naked woman on the front blowing kisses. I roll my eyes and pointedly stare in the other direction. The nerve of some people, reading something like that in public.

I look at my watch. It's nearly ten, which means in a few minutes everyone's going to be arriving. I shudder to think about what it's going to be like to get into the platform and I'm suddenly glad my alarm is permantly stuck at five o'clock.

Ryan's fiddling with some stupid muggle contraption that he'd picked up somewhere last week. I'm so tired from waking up so early after a summer of sleeping in, and the tiredness is starting to creep up on me. Minutes go by and I let my head loll on the wall behind me. My eyes shut and I feel myself drift into sleep.

It's not too long later that Ryan is shaking me awake. I peel my eyes open and stand up, a tired mess. I know my hair's going in every direction, but I don't care, it's not like it's every any better when it's brushed down.

The train's mostly full but I manage to find an empty compartment. Ryan ran away to be with his other fifth year friends so I'm alone, something that isn't so bad. You'd be surprised how nice being alone is when you've always had to share a room with someone else.

It's a struggle to put my trunk in the shelf above the seats, the effort has me sweating and cursing. I stretch as far as I can, but I'm just too short to shove it all the way in. I've just started cursing how genetics gave my brother all the height in the family when a hand appears beside mine and my trunk is easily slid into place.

I turn around to thank my helper and I come face to face with a pair of green eyes and circular glasses.

"See, I told you that we go to school together!"

I stumble backward, stunned at the sudden closeness of the boy.

"I'm James Potter," he says shoving his hand in my face. I take it gingerly and let him wring it up and down.

"Rhys Griffin."

"Griffin." He says my name slowly, plopping down in the seat across from me. I open my mouth to tell him I did not invite him to site with me, but I shut it when I realize that probably wouldn't matter with him. He was obviously used to getting what he wanted, so instead I sat down, and opened the latch on Fluffy's cage. He bounds out and stretches out on a patch of sunlight streaming through the window, right in the middle of the floor.

James Potter is still saying my name slowly and staring off into space, but suddenly he sit's up so fast it's a wonder how he didn't break his spine.

"Griffin! You're a Ravenclaw; your brother is in Gryffindor, Ryan right?" I nod and he snaps his fingers looking pleased with himself.

"Nice to meet you Miss Griffin."

"Nice to meet you to." He seems to miss the sarcasm in my voice.

It's silent for a moment, and I can feel the awkwardness creeping in, but apparently James Potter doesn't because he's humming and tapping his feet up and down and peering out the compartment door with the air of someone being impatient.

It only takes a moment for the humming to start to grate on my nerves and I open my mouth to tell him to cut it out, but the compartment door slides open and the words die in my throat. Three more beaming boys stand in the doorway, one of them the other boy from the music store.

"I've been looking for you for ages, Prongs. Why do you always have to go gallivanting away when someone tells you to stay put," the long haired boy from yesterday nags, walking into the compartment. He steps on Fluffy's tail and the resounding screech rings through the cabin. Fluffy jumps onto my lap and for the first time the other three boys turn their attention to me.

"Oh hey, music girl."

* * *

"But she's so pretty."

I let my head fall against the window, frowning hard at the cow pastures speeding by. I'd spent the last three hours next for four bouncing boys and an irritable cat. So far the bulk of the conversation had been about Lily Evans, one of the only single pretty girls in the whole school, and how James couldn't seem to catch a break with her. I'd spent most of the time biting my tongue to keep snide comments from slipping out. I did not wish to be noticed any more by these boys than what was so far necessary. I'd spent the last six years making sure I didn't mingle with idiots like these and today would not be the day to start.

"So what's your name, anyway?"

I roll my head to look at the boy with the long hair, Sirius, as far as I'd gathered. I hadn't decided on whether the effort of answering him was worth opening my mouth when James did it for me.

"Her name is Rhys Griffin, a Ravenclaw. Her brother's that fifth year, Ryan, who's always getting slapped for hitting on girls."

I grin at the description of my brother. He does seem to enjoy getting any attention from girls, even negative attention.

"Well I am Sirius Black," Sirius says wiggling his eyebrows at me. "That," he points to the boy in the shabby robes sitting beside me, "is Remus. And that" he points the last boy, a small boy with watery eyes, "is Peter."

"Very nice to meet you all."

Sirius winks at me and I feel my mouth drop. Three hours on a train is not a long enough time of knowing someone to wink at them. Pointedly I turn away to look out the window. Laughter erupts around me and James leans across the aisle to slap me on the shoulder.

"You're all right, Griffin."


	3. to mend the hearts

The moment the train arrives at the station I rush out, trying to put as much distance between me and the four devils, pulling paper balls out of my hair that'd been thrown around. That had been the number one worst time of my life, beating the time Ryan put frog spawn in my bed. When I step into the fresh air I take big gulps of air and readjust my grip on my luggage. I'm walking towards the carriages when a hand touches my back and I jump.

"Calm down, Rhys. You're so jumpy," a girl's voice whispers in my ear. Along with the voice a body appears beside me. Veronica Tully smiles down at me, her curly black hair creating a dark halo around her face.

"Where were you anyway? I looked for you all over the train, but I never saw you." She asks, wiggling her eyebrows. "Were you with someone?"

I scoff at her suggestive manor.

"Yes, I was with someone. Four very annoying someone's."

"Who?"

"Some Gryffindor's. James Potter, Sirius Black, and um-"

"Oh, child I feel so bad for you," she gives me a sympathetic look.

"So you know who they are?"

"Yeah, you don't?"

"Never seen them before."

Veronica gives me a withering look and rolls her eyes.

"How can you not have noticed them? We've gone to school with them for the past six years! Not to mention they're not the most quiet people around."

"I've just never noticed them."

"Maybe you need to pull your nose out of your books."

"Oh shut up."

* * *

"I would like to wish everyone a good night!"

The scraping of wooden benches against stone floors rings through the Great Hall. I follow the group of first years towards the tower, Veronica trailing closely behind me.

"Hey your brother's waving at you," she points to the right of us. Sure enough, Ryan is waving his hands and jumping up and down like an idiot. I shake my head at my brother's stupid antics. Every year he's done his best to embarrass me, to no avail.

"I don't know who that is."

When we arrive at the common room the Prefects lecture the first years on how to get in, making the rest of us wait.

"I hate this riddle shit." I whisper to Veronica. She giggles and nods her head.

"You know the Gryffindor's just have a password. Like, why can't we have something like that?"

"I know."

When one of the first years finally answers the questions correctly I stumble all the way to the Seventh Year dorms. Fluffy is stretched out on my bed and he meows loudly as I come in.

"Bed time. everyone!" Stacy Moors, another Ravenclaw sings bursting through the door. We all ignore her, and go back to our conversations.

I extract a pair of pajamas from my trunk. Pulling on her shirt, Veronica gets my attention by kicking me in the side.

"Have you been reading the Prophet over the summer?" She asks, emerging from the neckline and spitting out hair.

"You know my mom doesn't let me get a subscription. Why?"

"Well," she looks around to make sure no one's listening and goes on, voice dropped to almost a whisper, "you remember those weird murders that have been going on for the past couple of years?"

"Yeah?"

"We'll, there's been more. My mum says something's going on, and I figure she's right. But who in their right mind would be killing muggles and wizards alike? I mean, the way she was going on about it, it seems like it's just a matter of time before something big happens." She gives a small twitch of the head.

I climb into bed, my mind is full of what she said, but it trickles away as I fall asleep.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Double Potions, Double Defense against The Dark Arts, History of Magic and Transfiguration? What a shitty Monday!"

My outburst causes snorting all along the Ravenclaw table. A seventh year boy whose name I don't know lifts his goblet at me and says 'cheers'. It's renowned the Ravenclaw's tend to have the worst seventh year. I never believed the rumors about a horrible course load but apparently everyone had been telling the truth.

"I think you need to drink so-so-some coffee," Veronica yawns, pushing the drink towards me.

"And why the bloody hell, do you say that?" I snap at her. She rolls her eyes and plops her head on the table.

"You're such a bitch in the morning!" Her voice is muffled and I scowl at her. She's telling the truth of course. I don't become a moderately decent person until around noon.

Sulking, I sip my coffee and shove sausage down my throat, the table quiet until the bell rings. Every one of the seventh year Ravenclaw students head towards the potions classroom. As we round the corner I stop in my tracks and groan.

Standing outside the door are three fourths of the group from hell: James Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin.

"I thought Gryffindor's had Potions with the Slytherins," I moan dragging my feet towards the door. Veronica laughs at my misfortune evilly.

"There's only twenty or so students taking this class, and we all got put together!" She sings in my ear. I groan again.

"Oh come one, brighten up. They are the cutest boys in our year."

I look at her, dumbstruck. Those devils, cute?

"Admit it."

"You need your eyes checked."

"Well, you need to-"

I didn't get to figure out what I needed to do, because a hand grabbed my elbow and I was yanked towards the center of the group. I gasp in surprise as a body leans against mine.

"Hello, beautiful," Sirius says leaning his head on my shoulder. I jerk away, making sure to hit him hard with my bag. He pouts and I move as far away from him as I can. I'm saved from having to deal with him by the doors opening. Professor Slughorn greets us enthusiastically and we pour into the classroom.

I take my usual spot in the front. The stool beside me scrapes against the floor and I turn, fully expecting to come face to face with Veronica. Instead I come face to face with Sirius Black. He grins at me and nods to something over my shoulder. I turn around and Veronica is giving me a thumbs up from behind Remus. Behind them sits Lily Evans and Dorcas Meadows, James staring at Lily with a look of pure obsession. There's no other open seats to escape to.

"Oh my god, I'm going to fail this year," I moan letting my head hit the desk. Sirius laughs and waves his hand dismissively.

"Don't worry, darling, I'm not that bad of a student."

"Don't call me darling."

"How about love?"

"How about you go die?"

He doesn't even look shocked at my outburst. He just winks at me. I snarl and force my face to turn forward to listen to Slughorn talk about how important their N.E.W.T's would be.

"Why don't you like me," Sirius whispers under the pretense of taking notes.

"Because I met you two days ago and you act like we're best friends."

"Oh come on, you'll have so much fun if you just go along with it and become friends with us."

"I'd rather be boiled alive."

He doesn't say anything after that. The rest of the class is spent taking notes on potions and antidotes we're going to be making. When the bell rings I run out of there, ignoring Veronica's pleas for me to wait for her.

I'm bristling with annoyance. How can one person be so arrogant that he thinks he can just grab someone and put them into their group? I arrive to D.A.D.A so early that the doors are closed. When everyone starts arriving Veronica find me and pokes me in the ribs.

"What's so bad about him?"

I look at her and sigh, throwing my hands up.

"He's annoying."


End file.
